1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is in the field of physical training and exercise devices. More particularly, the present invention is in the field of stationary training devices used by bicyclists to simulate the physical exercise of riding a mobile or traveling bicycle. Still more particularly, the present invention relates to a folding and portable stationary-type of training apparatus for use with a conventional bicycle which will support the stationary bicycle and a rider in an upright position, and which will allow the rider to simulate actual mobile riding of the bicycle while providing resistance to the rider's exertions so that a desired level of physical exercise is obtained by the rider.
2. Related Technology
A conventional stationary bicycle exercise device is known in accord with U.S. Pat. No. 3,979,113, issued 7 Sep. 1976 to Uhl, et al., in which a pair of stands, one for each end of a conventional bicycle, are used to support the bicycle and a rider in an upright position. As so supported, the rear drive wheel of the bicycle is free-turning. The bicycle could be "ridden" in a stationary location to gain exercise. However, in order to increase the pedalling resistance provided by the bicycle, the '113 patent is believed to teach the addition to the bicycle drive wheel of paddles, which are carried on the spokes of the rear drive wheel and increase the turning resistance of this wheel when it is spinning. Accordingly the pedalling resistance experienced by the rider is increased by the paddles on the rear drive wheel catching the air as the wheel spins.
With a bicycle exerciser according to the '113 patent, the user of the device must install both the front and the rear of the bicycle onto the stands, and also must install the paddles on the spokes of the rear wheel. This installation process involves the use of many parts, and is quite time consuming. For example, the '113 patent teaches to attach the rear stand to the bicycle frame using a pair of clamp plates on each of the wheel stays of the frame. These clamp plates are not quick to install, and are equally time consuming to remove. Most bicyclists would not be willing to simply leave the clamp plates on the bicycle when it is being ridden on a road, track, or trail because of their extra weight, and the great premium in high performance bicycling which is placed on light weight. Further, when the exerciser is not in use, the pair of stands is not really convenient to store because each stand takes up considerable space. The paddles must also be removed individually from the bicycle spokes, and provision must be made to store these paddles. Also, some modern high performance bicycles use light weight, fine-dimension wire spokes, which may not well withstand the lateral forces imposed by the paddles of the '113 invention. Some modern bicycles even use composite wheels with as few as three spokes of composite material. These spokes would not be well adapted to accept the air resistance paddles as suggested by the '113 patent.
Another conventional stationary cycle-type of exercise apparatus is known in accord with U.S Pat. No. 3,494,616, issued 10 Feb. 1970 to B. D. Parsons. The '616 patent is believed to teach a stationary cycle-type of exerciser in which a pedal set drives a vane type of hydraulic pump. An outlet of the pump is connected to an adjustable throttling valve. The valve exhausts into a reservoir located at a level above the pump, and from the reservoir hydraulic liquid flows by gravity to the inlet of the vane pump. However, the apparatus of the '616 patent is not usable either with or as part of a conventional bicycle. That is, the device of the '616 patent is merely a stationary cycle-type of exercise device. The exerciser taught by the '616 patent is not a training device for use with a conventional bicycle to simulate travel on the bicycle, and which allows the bicycle to be used in a conventional way for bicycling when it is not in use on a stationary training apparatus.
The conventional technology also includes stationary bicycle exercise devices, which are generally known in the pertinent field as "roller trainers". These roller trainers generally include a frame which rests upon a floor and which carries both a pair of relatively wide and closely spaced rear rollers, and at least one similarly wide front roller. One of the rear rollers is drivingly connected to the front roller so that when a conventional bicycle is placed on the trainer with its rear drive wheel between and driving the two rear rollers and its front wheel resting on and driven by the front roller, a rider may enjoy a stationary but still dynamic bicycle ride. That is, the rider may ride the bicycle on the trainer with the rear drive wheel driving the two rear rollers and the front roller driving the front wheel of the bicycle. In this way, the spinning wheels of the bicycle along with the spinning rollers of the trainer (and also, possibly, a spinning flywheel coupled with these rollers) simulates the inertia and momentum of the bicycle and rider in motion. However, the trainer, the bicycle and the rider actually stay in place and do not travel during such a training "ride".
With a conventional roller trainer, the user must be careful to maintain balance, and to keep the bicycle on the rollers. Otherwise, the rider may crash, and may actually fall from the bicycle. Even though the rider is not actually traveling at all, this type of fall still presents the chance of injury, merely from the fall itself, or from contact with the spinning parts of the bicycle or trainer apparatus. The conventional roller trainer is also generally quite large, heavy, and expensive because of its complexity. This trainer is not easily portable, and requires considerable storage space when not in use.
Another type of conventional bicycle stationary trainer is generally known as the "full size" type of trainer. These trainers generally include a frame which rests upon a floor, and which includes a special clamping device to which the frame of a conventional bicycle is secured by first removing the front wheel. The clamping device takes the place of the front bicycle wheel, and secures the bicycle frame to the trainer so that the rear drive wheel of the bicycle rests upon and drives a roller. A resistance device, such as a magnetic hysteresis device or a fan, is drivingly connected to the roller. Also, many of these devices include a flywheel connected to the roller to simulate the inertia and momentum of actual travel on the bicycle. With a full size trainer, the rider need not maintain balance because the trainer frame supports the rider and bicycle in an upright position. However, these trainers generally require some installation effort and time, both to install the bicycle for use on the trainer and for conversion of the bicycle once again for normal travel off of the trainer. When the full size trainer apparatus is not in use it is not convenient to store because of its weight and size. Again, this type of bicycle trainer is somewhat complex and is also expensive.
Yet another category of bicycle trainer is known as the folding stationary trainer. These devices generally include a folding frame or stand, which in its use configuration secures to the bicycle by clamping to opposite ends of the rear axle. The rear drive wheel is suspended off the underlying support surface, such as the floor, and drives a roller carried on the trainer stand. The roller generally is drivingly connected to a resistance device, and also possibly to a flywheel. The bicycle may be ridden on the folding stationary trainer similarly to use of a full size trainer. The folding stationary trainer stand supports the bicycle and rider in an upright position with no need for the rider to maintain balance.
Because the folding stationary trainers elevate the rear drive wheel of the bicycle, the rider may find the resulting "pitched forward" riding position to be uncomfortable. Some riders of a folding stationary trainer find it desirable to shore up the front wheel of the bicycle in order to compensate for the elevation of the rear wheel, and to maintain a normal riding attitude of the bicycle. When the trainer is not in use, and the bicycle has been removed from the trainer, the folding stationary trainer stand folds to a smaller size for storage. Some of this advantage of a small storage size is lost if the rider must also store blocking or other shoring materials for the front wheel of the bicycle. These folding stationary trainers are generally smaller, lighter, less expensive and easier to store than the roller type or full size type of trainer discussed above. Additional information about several of the conventional folding stationary trainers is provided by an article entitled, "Going Nowhere--A Buyer's Guide to Folding Stationary Trainers", which appeared in Bicycling magazine for January 1994 at pages 60-64.
The folding type of stationary bicycle trainer has many advantages, and has been well accepted by the public. However, this type of trainer, and all other trainers which use the rear tire and drive wheel of the bicycle to drive a resistance device, through the use of a friction roller engaging with the tire, for example, suffer from an inescapable shortcoming. This shortcoming is evident when a mountain type of bicycle or a track type of bicycle is used on the trainer. With a mountain type of bicycle, the knobby off-road tread of the rear tire is very noisy and vibrates the bicycle on the roller. As is mentioned by the Bicycling article cited above, many users of conventional folding trainers with mountain bicycles have to replace the rear wheel with another wheel mounting a smooth-tread tire. Another drawback of the conventional stationary trainers is apparent with track type bicycles using low-friction, but fragile and expensive, sew-up type of wheels and tires. These wheels and tires provide the optimum performance for track riding. However, the tires are somewhat fragile and do not well endure the rigors of increased distortion and heat created by driving contact with the small radius of a drive roller on a stationary trainer. The user of this type of bicycle must similarly replace the rear drive wheel and tire of the bicycle with another wheel (such as a conventional "clincher rim" wheel) having a more durable smooth-tread tire for training "rides".